Palestinian Chances at UN Will Worsen After Council Elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Flavia Krause-Jackson - October 21, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinians seeking membership in the United Nations won’t be able to count on the newly elected Security Council members to better their chances. When the 193-country General Assembly today picks five countries to replace a third of the 15-member body on Jan. 1, support for the Palestinians will drop by one as Guatamala, running unopposed, succeeds Brazil in the Latin American seat. » Read more

Hamas Gains From Prisoner Swap Likely to Fade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Rosenberg - October 18, 2011 - 12:00am On the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Prime Minister Ismail Haniya and other Hamas officials greeted some 280 freed prisoners on Tuesday, giving each a long embrace amid a cacophony of horns honking and masked gunmen struggling to keep order as friends and families crowded into the ceremony. » Read more

Netanyahu agrees to partially freeze West Bank construction in bid to resume talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - October 21, 2011 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's willing to freeze government construction in West Bank settlements as well as all construction on government land there. In return, he needs an agreement by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to resume direct peace talks. According to a senior Israeli official, Abbas has not yet responded, but he has been threatening to resign if there is no diplomatic progress in the next three months. » Read more

Palestinians plan "other options" if UN bid fails ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet October 20, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinians want the Security Council to decide on their bid for full U.N. membership soon so they can pursue "other options," the Palestinian U.N. envoy said, repeating charges that Washington is procrastinating to avoid a vote. Riyad Mansour, in comments to a Palestinian newspaper, did not say what the Palestinians would do once their bid for U.N. membership reached its conclusion. It is widely expected that the bid will fail because of U.S. opposition. » Read more

Abbas: We ended chaos but independence eludes us ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 20, 2011 - 12:00am President Mahmoud Abbas measured out his achievements but lamented the "failure" to grasp the ultimate prize of a Palestinian state, in a TV interview that aired on Wednesday. "I managed to end the security chaos but I still can't achieve independence," Mahmoud Abbas told Ma'an TV in Jordan on Monday. Abbas reflected on his five-year presidency, describing the last half-decade as "tough." "I had to start from zero and work hard on security and safety in the Palestinian territories," the president said. » Read more

Abbas to visit Egypt, discuss reconciliation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 20, 2011 - 12:00am President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Egypt on Saturday, officials said, after a meeting of his Fatah party said movement on a stalled reconciliation agreement with Hamas was "necessary". Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority Yasser Othman told official news agency WAFA that the president would travel to Egypt to discuss implementation of the deal reached on May 4 and brokered by Egypt but which has yet to be carried out. » Read more

For Palestinians released in Gilad Shalit prisoner swap, freedom is relative ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Rebecca Collard - October 19, 2011 - 12:00am Of the roughly 100 former Palestinian prisoners released in the West Bank and East Jerusalem yesterday, half will remain under Israeli security restrictions that include limits to their movements and regular check-ins with Israeli authorities. The restrictions were part of the deal reached by Israel and Hamas that freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for the release of 1,027 Palestinians from Israeli prisons. Mr. Shalit and 477 of the prisoners were released Tuesday. » Read more

Hard Feelings Test Hope in Israel-Hamas Deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - October 20, 2011 - 12:00am Just off the bus in Gaza after six years in an Israeli prison, one of hundreds traded to Hamas for an Israeli soldier, Wafa al-Bass declared her next goal: abduct more Israeli soldiers. Others who returned said they could not feel satisfaction until the thousands of remaining Palestinian prisoners were freed. Sgt. First Class Gilad Shalit, a captive of Hamas since 2006, saluted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at an Israeli air base Tuesday after his exchange for Palestinian prisoners. More Photos » » Read more

Fayyad: time not ripe for Israeli-Palestinian talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet October 20, 2011 - 12:00am The time is not right for meaningful Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said on Wednesday, saying they are only likely to produce a blame game rather than a settlement. The so-called Quartet of Middle East peace mediators has failed to meet its own goal of bringing the two sides into direct talks, instead scheduling separate meetings with them on Oct. 26 in the hope of eventually bringing about negotiations. » Read more

Make Israel comply ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star (Editorial) October 19, 2011 - 12:00am The international media focused Tuesday on the prisoner swap between Israel and the Palestinians, highlighting the theme of an end to a five-year saga. The release of more than 1,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners is certainly a welcome sight, but one must remember that around 10,000 more such cases remain. » Read more